It has gained worldwide acknowledgment that pregnancy and delivery are two of the most harrowing experiences and times a woman — a human — can go through. Why billions of women have lost their lives giving birth to their children in the past, yet those deaths still did not stop them from producing children. And now, even though the technological advancement of science and improvement of the medical field are comforting to a great extent and make the process of birthing so much easier, complications can still occur — especially if you do not take proper care of yourself and your baby.
The best way to take care of yourself while you are pregnant and preparing to become a mother is not restricted to one particular thing that you can do. There are cardio exercises, diets involved, and plenty of other things you can do to have the easiest and healthiest pregnancy possible. One of these things is prenatal vitamins.
What are prenatal vitamins, you may ask? Well, prenatal vitamins are supplemental vitamins and minerals produced and targeted for women who wish to become pregnant and who are pregnant. These prenatal vitamin supplements provide women with extra doses of vitamins and minerals that aid the strengthening of their reproductive system, making them healthier and much more suitable for the strenuous task of childbearing and birthing. Unlike the regular vitamin supplements, prenatal vitamins are aimed to be beneficial for both you and your baby.
While you are pregnant, you will often be caught up in an exhausting mess of cravings, morning sickness, and disinclinations toward many beneficial food items. You are also prone to a lot of health problems, and your chances of developing health conditions can become higher because not only are your hormone levels abnormal, every system in your body is put-off normalcy by the development in your uterus. These health issues can occur during your pregnancy or after it. And they can also affect your fetus. But as it is with pregnancies, some food items become off-limits or absolutely unbearable. This might negatively impact your body and its systems when they are deprived of their very much demanded vitamins and minerals. We are lucky, with the ease of science and advanced medical accomplishments, that we do not need to scour the earth for the best food items for pregnancy or have to consume intolerable elixirs for it. All we need for extra mental assurance and health boost come in bottles and packets in the form of pills, tablets, drinks, and powders.
Today, we will be taking a look at the list below of ten of the best prenatal vitamins for your pregnancy, how they help us, where they can be found in our regular food items, and what can occur if we are impoverished by them.
Calcium
Calcium is one of the essential minerals your body requires to keep you healthy. It is often related to the health of our teeth and bones. However, there are accomplishments of calcium that have not been sung of as much:
- It is crucial for the contracting of our muscles
- It helps us maintain our levels of hormones properly
- Clotting of our blood
- Aiding in nerve functioning (calcium tends to multitask in the nervous system)
- It assists in regulating the normal rhythm of the heart
When the amount of calcium drops in our bodies, several problems can occur:
- Weakness in bones
- Fatigue
- Sluggishness
- Insomnia
- Forgetfulness
- Loss of focus and concentration, etc.
You can find calcium in the following list of foods:
- Milk
- Cheese
- Almonds
- Yogurt
- Food items that are fortified by calcium like breakfast cereals
- Salmon
- Spinach
- Kale
- Edamame, etc
Calcium is, thus, a mineral of high worth in the face of pregnancy. With pregnancy, you might find yourself lacking in it since the fetus absorbs most of your nutrients for its own growth, and that includes calcium, too. It can be found in the form of pills and tablets at drugstores, and you can acquire them without the permission of your healthcare provider.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is one of the most demanded supplements for women who are preparing to become pregnant and those who already are pregnant. Folic acid is also known as folacin and vitamin B9 (it is actually the supplement form of vitamin B9). Folic acid has many benefits to offer for our health:
- it keeps our DNA from undergoing changes that can result in the development of cancers
- it helps us produce new cells and aids in their maintenance
- during time periods when you undergo drastic growth and changes, such as during pregnancy and fetal development
- during pregnancy, it aids in the formation of the neural tube of the baby
- folic acid prevents defects in the baby and prevents issues from forming in its brain and spine
When you lack folic acid, you expose yourself to the following health risks:
- Anemia — folic acid helps in the production of red blood cells, and when you are lacking it, low levels of folic acid could mean you do not have sufficient red blood cells. Being pregnant can put you at risk of folic deficiency anemia.
- Your baby is at a higher risk of developing a neural tube defect if you do not take enough folic acid while pregnant
Folic acid, or folate, is naturally occurring in a lot of food items in our daily diet:
- Eggs
- Food items that are fortified with folic acid such as cereals
- Papayas
- Bananas
- Grapefruit
- Raspberries
- Brussels sprouts
- Peanuts
- Spinach
- Beans, etc
For a safer pregnancy and for the prevention of neural tube defect in your baby, your healthcare provider may prescribe you folic acid supplements since it is easier to absorb than the version of folate we get from our daily food.
Iron
It is a no-brainer: iron is one of the most crucial minerals every human requires for a healthy life, and for a woman who is expecting or is preparing for pregnancy, it is one of the best things she could take for her health and her baby's. But while it is easy to say that iron is salient for us, particularly for pregnant women, iron is not all that easy to absorb (especially through just vegetarian or vegan diets). Now that is a shocker, considering the importance of iron and its abundance in our everyday food items.
Below is a short list of reasons why iron is one of the most beneficial minerals needed by the human body:
- It increases your blood count
- Promotes better athletic performance
- Prevents anemia
- Iron provides you with a healthier pregnancy
- Helps you improve focus and concentration
- Increases your energy levels, etc
The deficiency of iron means less hemoglobin in your blood, which means your body is not receiving enough oxygen. It produces the following list of signs, although not all symptoms mentioned getting displayed by everyone with iron deficiency anemia.
- You can develop anemia
- Shortness of breath
- Lack of focus or concentration
- Constant fatigue
- Weakness
- Development of pale complexion
- Brittle nails
- Dizziness
Iron is abundantly found in many of the food items that we consume on a daily basis:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Poultry
- Shellfish
- Pomegranate
- Spinach
- Legumes
- Black currant
- Quinoa
- Beetroot
- Food that is fortified with iron such as pasta and cereals
Including the items above in your diet as a pregnant woman will offer great aid to your health. However, taking into account people's personal preferences regarding the food they eat and the growing aversion people are developing to consuming non-veg items, it is best to use iron supplements. Especially since iron supplements help us gain iron much more easily.
It is important to note as well that while iron is a most demanded mineral for pregnant women, it can also cause constipation. To prevent that from happening, you may want to drink plenty of water and other fluids along with consuming food with fiber.
Iodine
We humans are incapable of producing iodine, yet it is one of the much-required minerals our body needs. So, it should be consumed in order for needs to be met. Iodine has a lot to offer to us for the benefit of our health:
- Iodine is known to have the ability to kill fungus
- It can also get rid of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms
- Aids the production of the important hormone known as thyroxine
- Provides better development of the brain for babies in pregnant women
- Increases cognitive functioning in young children
- Ensures you give birth to a baby with a healthy weight
- Can help you prevent goiters, etc
When you lack iodine, you can become susceptible to many issues related to your overall health:
- Hypothyroidism — a condition where you can not produce enough thyroid hormone. In this condition, you can lose your hair and become pale and tired.
- Miscarriage
- The thyroid gland can swell up and cause your neck to become swollen too
- Significant mental afflictions can occur in babies who did not receive sufficient iodine while in their mother's womb — this issue can also occur with infants who are not given enough iodine
- Your baby is at a higher risk of having a low birth weight
- You can develop a goiter if you lack iodine
A lot of the food we eat on a daily basis is abundant in many nutrients, particularly iodine, although it is hard to come by in a vegetarian or vegan diet:
- Milk
- Shrimp
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Iodized salt
- Seaweed
- Oysters
- Food items and infant formula that is fortified with iodine
Iodine supplements should be taken by pregnant women, usually at the advice of their healthcare provider, since too much iodine can cause adverse reactions and unwanted health complications.
Choline
Now, unlike the earlier items on this list, choline might be something you are unfamiliar with or are hearing of for the first time. So, what is choline?
Choline is yet another nutrient essential for our body and health. However, we can not produce much of this nutrient in our body and need to consume it through diets or supplements, like iodine.
Below is a list of things that choline is required to do in our body for us to live a healthy life:
- Our brain needs choline to maintain our memory
- It can provide assistance for the brain development of a fetus
- It is essential for the formation of a fetus's spinal cord and the prevention of neural tube defect
- Choline helps us control our mood
- It can help us maintain healthy blood vessels and a healthy heart because of the effect it has on our blood pressure
- It provides muscle control
- It is essential in the formation of our body's cells
- It is a requirement for many other functions in our body
Not receiving enough nutrients means trouble, and pregnant women are often finding themselves in this dilemma. The following list is just some of the things that can go wrong when we are lacking in simple nutrients such as choline:
- We can develop damage to our muscles
- The liver can also experience damage
- Fat gets deposited in the liver, and that can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Lucky for us, most people do not suffer from choline deficiency, and we can find it in many of the food items we eat on a daily basis:
- Broccoli
- Caviar
- Soybean
- Brussels sprouts
- Chicken
- Milk
- Cheese
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Eggs
- Yogurt
- Potatoes
- Fish
- Quinoa
- Whole wheat bread
- Bananas
- Cauliflower, etc
To increase your intake of choline for the betterment of your health and your baby's, your healthcare provider may advise you to take choline supplements alongside a diet rich in choline.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral required by a myriad of systems in our body. It is very fortunate for us that we can effortlessly obtain magnesium through our diet and are not really in need of its supplements — unless you are pregnant because then you might need extra magnesium to supply for the baby. But what is it that magnesium does for us? Let us find out in the list below:
- it helps us regulate a normal blood pressure
- maintains an appropriate body temperature
- decreases the chances of limited fetal growth
- it can increase your baby's birth weight
- magnesium can lower the risk of a condition known as pre-eclampsia, which may occur during a woman's pregnancy
- it is also vital for protein synthesis, etc
Magnesium is a mineral that we can effortlessly obtain through our diets due to its abundance in various food items that we consume on a daily basis:
- spinach
- black beans
- chia seeds
- almonds
- peanuts
- kale
- potatoes without their skin peeled
- bananas
- brown rice
- edamame
- avocados
- cashews
- pinto beans
- chickpeas
- quinoa
Zinc
Zinc is a nutrient known as a "trace mineral" — meaning it is a substance that, although our body requisites for a healthier life, is not needed in a large quantity. You may find yourself being recommended zinc for pregnancy and lactation:
- zinc helps us taste the food and drinks we consume, which ensures our appetite remains intact and which, in turn, keeps us healthy
- it promotes cell growth of a fetus in a pregnant woman (zinc is especially crucial during times of rapid development like in pregnancy)
- zinc plays a major in the formation of DNA
- aids in the healing of damaged tissue
- it is crucial for a healthy and functioning immune system
- it is highly demanded for brain development as well
When you lack zinc (which is most often a rare case), especially during your pregnancy, you expose yourself and your child to many risks like the few following below:
- low birth weight of your baby
- disturbance or loss of the sense of taste and smell
- loss of appetite owing to the lack of taste and appeal
- weakened immunity that results in a higher risk of contracting infections
- slowed healing process
- hair loss may also occur
- diarrhea
- lack of proper growth and development in children, etc
Although zinc is quite important for us, it is difficult to obtain through a vegetarian or vegan diet since the mineral is most abundantly found in non-veg items:
- chicken
- kidney beans
- crab
- avocado
- sweet corn
- cheese
- broccoli
- peaches
- blueberries
- spinach
- almonds
- lobsters
- oysters
- turkey
- apricot
- cereals and bread that fortified with zinc
Zinc can be easily obtained through a non-veg diet and so most people do not have to worry about having to take zinc supplements. However, if you are pregnant, you may find yourself needing more to cover up for your baby's supply as well, and increasing your food intake might be difficult. For cases as such, your healthcare provider may recommend taking zinc supplements.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are lipids, and we are incapable of synthesizing them in our bodies, although we can produce other types of fatty acids. Studies show that most pregnant women tend to be lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, especially since they feel disinclined toward the most enriched sources of it, seafood. Here are some of the health benefits that they miss out on and some of the body functions that may misbehave in the absence of omega-3 fatty acids:
- it helps in the transportation of oxygen
- it assists in storing energy
- omega-3 fatty acids may also be a factor influencing the gestation period
- promotes standard growth for the body and its organs, especially the brain
- studies show that it might harbor anti-inflammatory properties
- omega-3 is known to have a vital role in the formation and development of the fetal brain and retina
- some sources say that it can help prevent perinatal depression
Here are some symptoms you might notice if you are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and a few other things that can happen in the absence of omega-3:
- fatigue
- depression or mood swings
- poor memory and blood circulation
- your chances of developing chronic diseases, heart diseases, and cancers get heightened
- children who did not receive sufficient omega-3 fatty acids while in their mothers' wombs may suffer from problems regarding their vision and nerves
Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from the following food sources:
- catfish
- walnuts
- sardines
- spinach
- shrimp
- blueberries
- broccoli
- seaweed
- chia seeds
- canola oil
- scallops
- edamame
- salmon
- flaxseed
It is highly advised that you ensure that the fish you consume is free of mercury. You can always check in with your doctor for advice and discuss if omega=3 supplements are really what you need for pregnancy.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E plays a vital part in our daily lives and keeps us as healthy as we can possibly be. Of course, we want the same for our children, and there is no better time to start building a strong foundation for their health and strength than when they are in their mother's womb. Here is a small list of things vitamin E does for us:
- it gives us healthy hair, makes it lustrous and strong
- has a hand in the production and regulation of red blood cells
- promotes healthy eyes and vision
- powers up our immune system
- it is an antioxidant
- prevents cell damage
- studies say that vitamin E can prevent the development of respiratory issues in babies if their mothers take vitamin E while pregnant
Although very rare, quite a few serious things can go wrong if you do not have enough vitamin E:
- you could experience problems with your vision
- aching in your muscles and loss of their control
- you could undergo muscle and nerve damages
- loss of feeling in your limbs
- weakened immunity is yet another sign of vitamin E deficiency
Below is another list citing some of the sources of vitamin E in our diets:
- almonds
- tomatoes
- red peppers
- hazelnuts
- broccoli
- sunflower oil and seeds
- blueberries
You should consult your doctor to find out if you need extra doses of vitamin E through supplements.
Vitamin C
We, humans, are slightly unfortunate when it comes to this very vital vitamin because while it is so crucial to us, we can neither produce it nor can we store it in our bodies. The well-deserved praises of vitamin C are not unheard of, nevertheless, we all need to be reminded from time to time of a few of the great benefits it has for us:
- it repairs broken tissue
- is essential for healing
- aids in the absorption of iron
- boosts our collagen production
- strengthens our immunity
- develops the bones and teeth of your baby
The lack of vitamin C is usually almost always detected easily:
- swollen gums and indications of gingivitis (progressed gingivitis — or periodontitis — can become dangerous for your baby if you are pregnant)
- irritability
- poor and slowed process of healing
- fatigue
- easy bruising
- weak or aching muscles
- loss of appetite, etc
Below are some sources of vitamin C:
- oranges
- lemons
- strawberries
- potatoes
- kiwis
- red bell pepper
- brussels sprouts
- black currants
If you have concerns about your vitamin C intake, you might want to have a discussion with your doctor in regards to vitamin C supplements.
A word of caution before we end this article: While prenatal vitamin supplements are readily available in drugstores and do not it necessitate the permission of your health care provider, it is strongly advised that you discuss with your doctor what supplements may suit you and your baby the best without putting either of the two of you at risk of complications in health. Pregnancy is a situation that requires immense and meticulous care for both the sake of the mother and the baby. Any step you wish to take regarding it must be first consulted for by your healthcare provider.
The supplemental vitamins in the above list are defined as some of the best only on the basis of general observations made upon average cases.
References
Sites used for reference for this article:
